NEWS

Ice skater Sophie is dancing with the best

23 September 2019

A talented ice skater at The Abbey is now working with a figure skater and pairs choreographer who has been behind Holiday on Ice and the hit TV show Dancing on Ice.

Now in Lower IV (Year 8), Sophie has had an exciting summer of training in preparation for next season, as her coach presented her to Mark Naylor. He is a former USA pairs champion and now the main choreographer for Holiday on Ice, as well as working on the long-running ITV show Dancing on Ice.

Mark said he is extremely impressed with Sophie’s talents, and now guides her in developing her performances. Sophie’s mum, Davina, highlighted how “this is a fantastic opportunity” and will help Sophie to grow her skills and confidence in the sport.

In her third-session with him, Sophie was introduced to the ‘pairs death spiral’. Mark said that he “could not believe how naturally she took to it,” with only a few minutes of instruction. You can see a video of her executing this move on our Facebook page.

On working with Mark, Sophie says: “Mark is so much fun and very motivating. His favourite words are ‘adorable’ and ‘you nailed it.’ He likes to listen to my ideas and creates choreography that is natural to my personality.”

Sophie gave an amazing performance at The British Solo Ice Dance Championships, and is now ranked 16th in the UK in her level. She has just taken her NISA Level 6 Ice Dance Test and passed with flying colours after giving a dazzling performance to the classic 60s song ‘Let’s Twist Again.’

A girl of many talents, Sophie also enjoys cross-country and netball at The Abbey. We are excited to see what she goes on to do next!

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